This "patty-eating bus driver" cost Florida's Broward county $100,000

Most bus drivers and municipal bus trips are utterly innocuous – you don't remember either of them because nothing happens to make them worth doing so. That wasn't the case with Ursula Wilson's ride with "patty-eating bus driver" Herton Reid in Florida's Broward County.

Not only was Reid eating a Jamaican beef patty – eating while driving a bus is against the rules – he was said to be actively trying to prevent a car in another lane from getting in front of him. When Reid had to slam on the brakes, Wilson, who was standing near the front of the bus, couldn't hold on to the handle, so she fell to the floor, banging her head on the fare box. Reid then proved his disregard for passengers was no fluke when he kept on driving and lunching.

Eventually medical help was called, but it apparently wasn't able to keep Wilson from spending $200,000 for treatment like having discs in her spine fused together. As it turns out, Reid has a troubled history with the city bus service – for instance, he broke five rules of conduct while on a supervised re-training drive with city instructors because of previous instances of bad driving, and he still wasn't fired. Since the injury, he has retired, but before going, he left Broward County – and its taxpayers – with a $100,000 bill to settle Wilson's lawsuit.

The whole story is recapped in detail in the video below (warning: Autoplay).

Reported comments and users are reviewed by Autoblog staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week to determine whether they violate Community Guideline. Accounts are penalized for Community Guidelines violations and serious or repeated violations can lead to account termination.

Oh Florida. I live in Broward County and our public transit system is not the greatest. The bus stops are too far apart and the buses themselves are often late. I don't know anyone here who rides the bus unless they absolutely have to (unlike NYC or San Fran where taking public transit is often easier and more efficient than driving). And then to have to deal with nonsense like this? I'd rather bike before getting on the buses here.

This man should have been fired before this happened. The city/county not only should pay all her bills but she and her attorney should sue him and the city with stipulation that 1/3 in retirement salary be sent to her for emotional pain and suffering. The physical suffering is going to be something she will live with the rest of her life.

Florida, New York, Canada and of course the Caribbean. You might be able to order them online, I always get mine when I go to Canada, they come in a box with like 20 of them in it or so. You can get chicken or beef, the beef taste much better. You can also get spicy or non-spicy, spicy is better in my opinion.

I lived in a big, crowded city in Romania where many bus drivers were selling tickets to the people that got on board at the previous station, while driving and holding the cell phone texting and eating something. This is how most drivers drove there, oh and they were steering with their elbows. It was quite funny if you weren't considering that your life is in danger.

You have to be retarded to even think that her falling was the bus driver's fault. She was barely holding on and tripped over everyone else. No one else fell but her, so like I said its bullshit. If you're heavy then you need to hold on tighter and you need to be be prepared for the bus stop. Common sense, but I guess in her case and seemingly yours, it isn't common at all. For 200K in medical bills I expect everyone on the bus to be thrown around, not some, overweight, goofy broad with a feeble grip who wasn't smart enough not to stand in a place to trip over people's feel. We reward stupidity with 100K? What a world.
M